WA FCAP CPD Event - Professor Sonya Girdler

Sonya Girdler is a Professor of Occupational Therapy and Director of the Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG) at Curtin University, in Perth, Western Australia. She is a member of the Australian National Autism Co-operative Research Centre and affiliated with the Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND) in Sweden.

Sonya has extensive experience in the field of autism research. She is particularly interested in enabling the participation of autistic individuals in education and employment, and the development, evaluation and translation into practice of evidence-based interventions (particularly those focussing on social skills, strengths-based approaches, peer mentoring and mental health).

Sonya has published over 160 publications and supervised 18 PhD students to completion on these topics. Sonya is passionate about co-producing research with her autistic colleagues and interdisciplinary research, believing that 'magic happens' when neurodivergent individuals share their ideas and talents.

In 2022 Sonya was the joint winner of the Western Australian Premier's Science Awards for the Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year; and, in 2023 the International Gold Winner of the Access, Diversity and Inclusion Award for Empowering Neurodiverse Adolescents, Awarded by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Reimagine Education Awards.

In her talk Sonya will present CARG's work in applying the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), which frames autism in terms of functioning and strengths. This work emphasizes the capabilities and potential of autistic individuals, a focus on the environment, and aiming to foster inclusion and empowerment across life domains such as education and employment. Sonya will also present CARG's current work with the Education Department of WA, delivering a social skill support program to autistic students in WA schools.